Saturn V Apollo Launch Operations Plan

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AIAA SPACE FLIGHT TESTING' CONFERENCECOCOA BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 1820, 1963

SATURN V/APOLLO LAUNCH /OPERATIONS PLAN _- - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Rocco A. Petrone

Chief Heavy Space Vehicle Systems OfficeLaunch Operations CenterNational Aeronautics and Space Administrat ionCape Canaveral I Florida(iJ ?7-C,--- 6308j)

First publication rights reserved by AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS, 500 Fifth Ave., New York 36, N.Abstracts may be published without permission if credit is given to the author and to AIM.


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SATURN V APOLLO LAUNCHOPERATIONS PLAN63087Rocco A. Petrone

Launch Operations CenterNational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationCape Canaveral, Florida

ABSTRACT

The magnitude of the Manned Lunar Landing Program has ledto the evol ution and adoption of a new launch operations concept tocope with the requ irements of the program. Major factors contributingto the need for a new approach include: (1) the greatly increasedsize and complexity of the SATURN VjAPOLLO space vehicle,(2) a requirement for unprecedented rei iabil ity, (3) the flexibil it y ofhandling varying launch rates and having a fast re-cycle time. It hasbeen determined that these needs can best be satisfied by the adoptionof a mobile launch concept.

The facilities required to implement the mobile concept include:(1) a vertical assembly building where space vehicles unaergo detailed stage preparation, assembly and checkout operations on alauncher-umbil ical tower platform, (2) a crawler-transporter to movethe vertical I y assembled and checked-out veh icle on the I auncherumbilical tower to the launch pad, (3) automated checkout facilitiesincorporated into the space vehicle and the ground support equipment,(4) a digital data system permitting checkout and launch of the spacevehicle on the pad from a location remote from the pad.

The translation of the mobile concept into operating facil itiespresents great challenges. Basic design cri ter ia have been estab-I ished and detailed design is underway on various portions of thislaunch complex, now deSignated SATURN Complex 39.

This paper describes these facilities from an operationalviewpoint.


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SATURN VjAPOLLO


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INTRODUCTION

One day within this decade an American will land on the Moon.The program to achieve this goal wi" require the most exten-sive concentration of the nationls scientific and technical talent everdevoted to a single undertaking. It is a blending into which the efforts

of many organizations, activities, and individual identities will bedissolved to accompl ish what has been establ ished as a major nationalgoal - landing an American crew on the moon and returning them safelyto earth.

The development of the Saturn V/Apollo and its launch facil i -ties required to pursue this goal is an extremely challenging technicalprogram compressed into a specified time I imit. The successful exe-cution of this program will demand a higher degree of skillful directionand coordination than heretofore given to any technical program carriedout by th is country.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration IS Officeof Manned Space FI ight (QMSF), headed by D. Brainerd Holmes, isdirecting the Manned Lunar Landing Program (MLLP), and coordi-nating the programs of three NA SA Centers in the development oflaunch vehicles, spacecraft and facil ities.

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), in Huntsville,Alabama, headed by Dr. Wernher von Braun, is developing the launchvehicle, designated Saturn V, that will place the manned spacecraftin Earth orbit, then inject it into a translunar trajectory.

The Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) in Houston, Texas,directed by Dr. Robert C. Gilruth, is developing the spacecraft,designated Apollo, that will carry the astronauts on the lunar landingmission. MSC has responsibility for flight mission control of theI unar landing program, and selects and trains the astronauts who willparticipate.

The Launch Operations Center (LOC) directed by Dr. Kurt H.Debus, is developing the facilities on the new Merritt Island LaunchArea (MILA) (Figure 1) from which the Saturn V/Apollo will belaunched and has operational responsibil ity for launch operations.

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The launch of the Saturn V/Apollo on its journey to the moonwill be the culmination of the dedicated efforts of many thousands ofind iv idual s in government and industry whose comb ined endeavorsbegan many years before actual l iftoff. This presentation is intendedto portray the scope and magnitude of these endeavors as related tothe launch operations.

SATURN V/APOLLO DESCRIPTION

Development of the Saturn V/Apollo (Figure 2) is an extensiveundertaking, certainly too broad to be accompl ished by anyone industrial organization. NASA has contracted with several industrial concerns for the development and production of launch vehicle stages andthe spacecraft. These companies have in turn contracted with manyother firms throughout the United States for the building of componentsand subsystems for the stages and the manned spacecraft. It is trulya national effort, with important operations centered in every regionof the United States.

Saturn VThe Saturn V launch veh icle consists of three stages, the

S-IC, S-II, and S-IVB, and the Instrument Unit.S-IC Stage

The first of the Saturn V stages, the S-IC, is under development by MSFC and the Boeing Company. Developmental models arenow being built at MSFC. Static testing of the early developmentalmodels will be conducted in Huntsville by MSFC. Boeing will produce this stage at the Michoud Plant in New Orleans, Louisiana,and these Boeing-built S-IC stages will be static tested at theMississippi Test Facil ity under the direction of MSFC.

The S-IC stage is 140 feet long, with a diameter of 33 feet.Its dry weight is 144 tons, and it has propellant capacity of 2,200tons of I quid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene (RP-1) loaded in its twotanks with an oxidizer to fuel ratio of 2.36:1.

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Its cluster of five F-1 engines develops a total of 7.5 millionpounds of thrust. The four"outboard engines are gimballed to provideattitude control capabil ity, and the center engine is mounted in afixed position.S-II Stage

The second stage of the S ~ . t u r n V launch vehicle, designatedS-II, is being developed by North American Aviation, Inc., underthe direction of MSFC. It will be static tested at the MississippiTest Facility.

The S-II stage is 82 feet long, and I ike the S-IC stage, hasa diameter of 33 feet. Its dry weight is 37.5 tons, and its propellant tanks have a capacity of 465 tons of LOX and I iquid hydrogen(LH2) with an oxidizer to fuel ratio of 5:1.

Its cl uster of five J-2 engines develops a total of 1 mi ll ionpounds of thrust. The engine array is similar to that of the S-ICstage, with the four outboard engines gimballed and the center enginefixed.

S-IVB StageThe third stage of the Saturn V, designated S-IVB, is beingdeveloped by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., under the direction

of MSFC. It is scheduled for static testing in test facil ities nearSacramento, Cal ifornia.Smaller than the first two stages of the launch vehicle, it is

59 feet long and has a diameter of 21 feet 8 inches. Its dry weightis approximately 14 tons, and"its propellant tanks have a capacity of115 tons of LOX and LH 2 with an oxidizer to fuel ratio of 5: l .

The S-IVB stage's single J-2 re-startable engine develops200,000 pounds of thrust.

Instrument UnitAn Instrument Unit (t U), assembled between the S-IVB stageand the !"'pacecraft, will provide guidance and control instrumentationfor the Saturn V/Apollo through burnout of the S-IVB stage. Underdevelopment by MSFC at Huntsville, Alabama, i t will be shipped tothe MILA in three 120 degree segments.

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Its length is 3 feet, its diameter, 21 feet 8 inches, and itweighs approximately 2 tons. The IU contains a gyro-stabilized platform, gu idance and control computers, fl i ght sequencer, commandreceiver and decoder, measuring system equipment, telemetry package,tracking transponders, and electrical distributors.

Apollo SpacecraftIn its launch configuration the Apollo spacecraft will consistof a Lunar Excurs ion Module (LEM), Service Module (SM), CommandModule (CM), and Launch Escape System (LES>' The Apollo will beapproximately 51 feet high and a maximum of 12 feet 10 inches indiameter. With the LES in place, it will be 79 feet high. The space

craft will weigh 45 tons, with full propellant loading.Lunar Excurs ion Module

The LE M will be designed to descend from lunar orbit, landtwo astronauts on the moon, return them to I unar orbit, and rendezvousand dock with the Apollo spacecraft in lunar orbit. The lunar landingstage will have a throttleable engine powered by hypergolic propellants.Its landing gear will serve as a launch pedestal in the lunar launchoperation. The lunar launch stage is also powered by hypergol ic propellants, as are the reaction and attitude control system. The LE Mwill weigh 12 1 /4 tons, including all propellants. The LEM is beingdeveloped by the Grumman A ircraft Engineering Corporation under thedirection of MSC.

Service ModuleThe SM will provide an abort capability following jettison ofthe LES, propul s on and reaction control for midcourse correctionsafter separation of the S-IVB stage, brak ing for entry into I unar orbit,escape from I unar orbit, and midcourse corrections for the return toearth. It will be 23 feet long, 12 feet 10 inches in diameter, andweigh 26 tons, including propellants.The propulsion system, fueled by Aerozine 50 and nitrogentetroxide, nominally provides 21,900 pounds of thrust and utilizesa re-startable gimballed engine.

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Command ModuleThe CM will be equipped to sustain three astronauts during

the lunar mission. It will be 12 feet long, 12 feet 10 inches indiameter, and have a hypergol ic propellant reaction control system.The CM will have an ablative heat shield and protected outer surfacesfor re-entry, and weigh 4 1/2 tons.Launch Escape System

The LES is 28 feet long and equipped with a sol id rocketengine. The engine will provide 150,000 pounds of thrust for sixseconds to separate, in the event of an emergency, the CM from thelaunch vehicle in a longitudinal direction during the period from crewembarkation while the space vehicle is on the launch pad to a fewseconds after ignition of the S-II stage. The LES will be jettisonedat this time.

Saturn V/Apollo StatisticsThe space vehicle will have an assembled length of 360feet and a total dry weight of 250 tons. Liftoff weight will beapproximately 3,000 tons.

LAUNCH FACILITIES

The IIMobile ll ConceptThe Manned Lunar Landing Program, because of the verylarge space vehicle to be used, the increase in launch rate expectedto evolve as our space exploration program develops, and the obviousneed to achieve the highest standard of launch reliability, compelledthe development of a new and improved concept of launch operations.In evolving this new concept, facil ities were establ ished to meetexpected operational requirements as well as research and develop

ment testing.A number of feasibility studies were made to guide the selection of the facil ities required to implement the basic concept. It wasdecided, first, to provide for assembly and checkout of the spacevehicle on a mobile launcher-umbil ical tower (LUT), in a vertical

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assembl y building; second, transfer of the assembled and checked outspace vehicle to the launch pad with all connections between thevehicle and the LUT intact; third, through the use of digital datatransmission techniques, control and conduct launch operations froma launch control center located more than three miles from the launchsite.

The launch facil ities which are planned to incorporate thefeatures of the "mobile" concept, have been designated LaunchComplex 39 (Figure 3) and are now ill various stages of des ign andconstruction.Major Elements of Launch Complex 39

Vertical Assembly BuildingOne of the important facil ities of Launch Complex 39 is the

VAB (Figure 4). Its three operational elements are a Low Bay Area,High Bay Area, and Launch Control Center, which is adjacent to ,and connected with, the High Bay Area. The floor plan of the HighBay and Low Bay Area is shown in Figure 5.The Low Bay Area is 256 feet long and 437 feet Wide, andhas a center section 209 feet high. The Low Bay Area has eightstage preparation and checkoutcells,equipped with systems to simulate stage interface and operation with other stages and the IU. Upon

their arrival at the Merritt Island Launch Area (MILA) the 5-11 and5-IVB stages will be moved to the Low Bay Area for checkout.The High Bay Area is 524 feet high by 513 feet wide and

432 feet long. It contains four checkout bays arranged as shown inFigure 5. Each pair of bays is served by a 250-ton bridge crane,with a hook height of 456 feet (Figure 6). A 175.;.ton overheadbridge crane serves the transfer aisle between the two pairs of bays,and the Low Bay Area. Each bay has four elevators to provide personnel access to the High Bay Area's many levels.Prior to arrival of the S-IC stage, a LUT will be positionedin one of the high bays by the Crawler-Transporter. The 5-IC stage

will be moved into the High Bay Area transfer aisle on its transporter,hooked to the 250- and 175-ton bridge cranes and hoisted to avertical position . The 250-ton crane will move the stage to the LUTand lower it onto the LUT support holddown arms. Then the 5-IC6


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stage will undergo stage checkout, ut il izing LUT and LCC instrumentation.

The LCC provides display, monitoring, and control equipmentused for both checkout and launch operations. The three-storybuilding has telemeter checkout stations on its second floor, andfour firing rooms, one for each bay of the VAB, on its third floor.Each firing room contains an identical set of control and monitoringequipment, so that launch of a vehicle and checkout of others maytake place simultaneously.Data Acquisition, Transmission and Display Systems

A high speed data I ink is provided between the LCC and theLUT for checkout of the launch vehicle. This I ink can connect tothe LUT at either location, in the VAB or at the pad.

A separate lower speed data I ink from the LCC to the PadTerminal Connection Room (PTCR) provides for checkout of the GSEin the pad area, such as the propellant systems, high pressure gassystem, and env ironmental control system. When the veh icle is notat the pad, a LUT simulator in the PTCR is used to permit checkoutof the pad GSE systems independent of vehicle checkout.

A hard wire system using battery powered independent cir-cuitry provides a back-up I ink between the LCC and pad for safingand monitoring of the Launch Vehicle at the pad in the event of datalink failure.

Additional data I inks provide connections from the spacecraft(when assembled on the LUT) to the Spacecraft Operations andCheckout Building, and to the LCC.Launcher-Umbil ical Tower

The LUT, upon which the space vehicle will be assembled,provides the base for actual launch, and is designed for the temperatures, stresses, and vibrations of holddown and launch (Figure 7),

Its launch platform is a two-story steel structure, 25 feethigh, 160 feet long, and 135 feet wide, which is positioned on sixsteel pedestals 21 feet high when in the VAB or at the LUT maintenance area near the VAB. At the launch pad, in addition to the7


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FIGURE 7 . LAUNCHER UMBILICAL TOWER (LUT )


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si x steel pedestals, four extendable columns are also used to stiffenthe LUT against rebound loads, should engine cutoff occur.

F our I auncher arms are mounted on the top deck of the launchplatform. Each arm is approximatel y 11 feet high by 9 feet by 6 feetat the base, and weighs 20,000 pounds. Holddown is accomplishedby a preloaded toggle I inkage that is released on receipt of launchcommit signal.An umbil ical tower extending 380 feet above the deck ismounted on one end of the launch platform. A hammer-head crane atthe top has a hook height of 376 feet above the deck with a traverserad ius of 85 feet from the center of the tower.Eight umbil ical swing arms, varying in length from 35 to 45feet, carry electrical, pneumatic, and propellant lines to the space

vehicle. They also provide walkways for checkout personnel to useto enter the interstage areas.The astronauts will board the spacecraft over a 68-footloading walkway, which will be swung away shortly before ignitionof the S-IC stage.

The Crawler-TransporterThe Crawler-Transporter is used to position the LUT in the

VAB, move the LU T -space vehicle configuration from the VAB tothe I aunch pad, and the Arm ing T ower from its park pos it on to thepad (Figure 8).The Crawler-Transporter unit is 131 feet long and 114 feetwide, and is powered by two diesel generators that provide 5,600horsepowerfor a main drive system powered by electrical drive motors.

It moves on four double-tracked crawlers, with hydraul ic jacking padson 90-foot centers. The four crawler trucks may be centrall ysteered, or the front or rear trucks may be steered as pairs. TheCrawler-Transporter will be capable of positioning the LU T on thesteel pedestals within + 2 inches. Its hydraulic jacks, used toI ift and lower the crawlers I loads, have a 72-inch maximum strokeand also maintain the loaded LUT in a level position within + 10minutes of arc, when used with its level sensing system. Its speedwhile carrying the LU T -space vehicle configuration on a levelcrawler-way is one mile per hour. While carrying this load, the

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Crawler-Transporter can move against winds up to 40 knots steadystate. Unloaded, its maximum speed is two miles per hour. TheCrawler-Transporter can negotiate turns of 500 feet mean radius.The Crawler-Transporter weighs 5.5 million pounds and cantransport a load of 12 million pounds.

Arming TowerThe Arming Tower provides 360-degree access to the spacevehicle by means of platforms for ordnance installation and for serviceaccess to the vehicle (Figure 9), It is moved to the launch pad andpos itioned by the Crawler-Transporter (Figure 10>. The 415-foothigh structure measures 150 feet by 125 feet at the base, and is

80 feet square at the top. It remains in position at the pad untilabout T -7 hours b ~ f o r e b ~ i n g t r a n s p o r t ~ d back to its launch park area,which is 7,000 feet from the n ~ a r ~ s t launch pad.

Launch Pad AreaThe Launch Pad Area is des igned for final preparation of thespace vehicle for launching, including propellant and ordnance loading, final checkout, and countdown (Figure 11).Three launch pads and associated facil ities are presentlyplanned for construction at Launch Complex 39. The launch padareas are located approximately one-half mile from the shore of the

Atlantic Ocean, and are separated by 8,730 feet. Based on studiesto determine maximum expected yield in the event of explosion onthe pad, it has been determined that this pad separation distance willallow operations on these pads to be independent of each other.However, it will be necessary to clear the adjacent pads of launchpersonnel during actual launch.The center portion of each pad is elevated 42 feet above thegrade, which is 6 feet above sea level. There will be a mobile,

two-way, steel, flame deflector pos itioned under the center-I ine ofthe vehicle with 35 feet from the exhaust plane of the F-1 enginesto the deflector ridge. This ridge will be made of removable refractory material.

The crawler-way is a specially prepared road bed which willtake the total load of 17.5 million pounds, with an average ground9


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pressure under crawler tracks of 65 psi. The crawler-way is 150feet wide, and has a grade of 5 percent approaching the pad.Liquid oxygen (LOX), used in all Saturn V stages, is storedin an 880,OOO-galion tank some 1,450 feet from each launch pad.Kerosene (RP-l), the S-IC stage fuel, is stored in threetanks of 235,OOO-gallon total capacity, located on the opposite side

of the I aunch pad from LOX tanks.A 650, OOO-galion I iquid hydrogen (LH 2) tank is located inthe same general area as the RP-l tanks. Pressure of 75 psig ismaintained in the vacuum- jacketed tank during fuel ing operations toaccomplish transfer of LH2 tothe S-II and S-IVS stages.Gaseous nitrogen (GN ) and hel ium (He) are stored underground in vessels near the l a ~ c h pad at pressures of 10,000 psi.A converter-compressor facil ity, located in the vicinity of the VAS,distributes the gas through transfer I ines to the storage battery ateach pad.The Pad Terminal Connection Room is located undergroundadjacent to the pad. It will house electronic equipment which willprovide a connecting I ink for communication and digital data I nktransmission I ines from the LCC to the LUT. It will also serve asa distribution point for high pressure gas and electrical systems.Equipment for simulation of space vehicle and LUT functions ismounted there for use in the checkout of facilities when the LUT isnot present.Propellant loading will be remotely controlled from the LCC.The Arming Tower will have been moved from the pad, and the padplaced in launch ready condition (Figure 12).

SATURN V/APOLLO LAUNCH OPERATIONS

Saturn V Stage TransportSaturn V stages will be shipped to the MILA by ocean-going

vessels. Arriving at a canal terminus near the VAS, a stage willbe rolled-off on its specially constructed transporter and towed into

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Saturn V Apollo Launch Operations Plan